1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image reading and recording apparatus integratedly having reading means for reading an image of an original and recording means for recording (printing) the image onto a recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a construction of a sheet feeding apparatus which is provided for an image reading and recording apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus or the like and feeds an original as sheets or a recording medium as sheets to the reading means or the recording means.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, a facsimile apparatus in which a part of a conveying path of an original and a part of a conveying path of recording paper are constructed in common in order to realize miniaturization and reduction in costs has been proposed. FIG. 16 shows an example of a construction of such an apparatus. In such an example, to further realize miniaturization, a feed roller 304 and a separation roller 303 are constructed in common and the original or recording paper which has been fed and separated passes through the common conveying path. An original stacking plate 309 to stack an original 302 is provided over recording paper 301 in the stacking direction of the recording paper 301 stacked on a pressing plate 308 (recording paper stacking surface). The original stacking plate 309 is fixedly arranged to the pressing plate 308 and can be vertically moved together with the rotation of the pressing plate 308. The recording paper or original conveyed by the feed roller 304 is conveyed by a common conveying roller 310 and reaches a reading unit or a recording unit arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the conveying roller 310.
In the system in the prior art mentioned above, the original stacking plate is fixedly arranged to the pressing plate in almost the parallel state while keeping a predetermined distance from the pressing plate which is repetitively removed from and come into contact with the feed roller. In such a system, an effect can be obtained in the case where the number of recording paper which can be set is large and it is intended to certainly assure a distance from the original stacking plate or in the case where a sufficient space where the original stacking plate can be moved can be assured above the original stacking plate.
However, in the case of decreasing a diameter of the feed roller for the purpose of miniaturizing the sheet feeding mechanism, a defective paper feed has occurred because a contact angle of the original to the feed roller and that of the recording paper to the feed roller are different. In the system in which the sufficient movable space of the original stacking plate cannot be assured above the original stacking plate because of the miniaturization of the whole apparatus, the system in which the original stacking plate is fixed to the pressing plate is disadvantageous.